Reclaimed
by Sokkaweekly
Summary: An escaped prisoner leads Sokka into dangerous territory. Sokkla.
1. Reclaimed

"Alright prisoner, we're coming in, don't try anything funn- where the hell is the prisoner?!"

The guards surveyed the metal room, but there was nothing there but ashes and scorch marks.

"Damn, this is bad. Alert the Warden, alert the Fire Lord, hell - alert the Avatar! We've got to get a team out, find a trail. If they go underground, we're done for," said one.

His partner nodded, running off to find higher command. The guard sifted through the remnants of the room, the charred pile smearing on his fingers. It was still warm to the touch.

The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened, goosebumps erupting on his skin. A sensation of being watched made him turn -

And then there was oblivion.

* * *

"I assure you, Fire Lord Zuko, we cannot afford to go off on a wild turtleduck chase. There have been reports of multiple attacks across the border, remnants of the deserters from the army after the war. The Earth King is angry at our failure to control our people, it could lead to… issues."

Zuko frowned, dismay flooding him.

"I understand, Governor, but this is far more important than petty banditry - the prisoner is extremely dangerous to the world in general, and bringing them back to justice is the most pressing matter," he argued in vain.

"With all due respect sir, how do we even know this person is as dangerous as you say? You have revealed no details beyond the fact that they have escaped from a holding unit. Perhaps we might be able to look into the matter more if we were more informed," said the Governor to the general agreement of the assembled advisers.

Rubbing his hairless brow wearily, Zuko sighed. It was a times like this he really wished he could lean on Mai, but she had been squirrelled away to safety for her own protection - and that hadn't been easy or pleasant.

"I have already said it is extremely sensitive, classified information. If the wrong people became aware, there could be all sorts of complications. Can we not inform the Earth King that the bandits will simply have to wait, or he can deal with them himself?"

A wave of disapproving murmurs rippled through the Fire Nation elite.

"I am sorry my Lord, but tensions are still high over the, ahem, conflict that you so recently put an end to. The Earth King would take it as a slight, or possibly even an act of war to allow these rogue outlaws to roam free and attack his subjects."

That was true enough. Kuei had shaped up considerably upon returning to his seat in Ba Sing Se, and had already had several confrontations with the new Fire Lord about matters relating to the Hundred Year War. The ground was shaky enough as it was - literally.

"Fine. Then what about Aang? Have we managed to reach him?" Zuko demanded.

"The Avatar is busy dealing with spiritual matters in the North Pole - something to do with the moon and ocean, I gather. He cannot come."

Zuko's hand clenched, smoke escaping his nostrils as he snorted in anger.

"Something must be done! If A- they are allowed to run unchecked, it could spell disaster. I have come too far to allow this country to go to ruin again!" He roared, before closing his eyes and breathing deeply, attempting to calm himself.

After a moment, he glanced up again, an idea forming in his mind.

"Bring me a messenger hawk."

The Governor's brow furrowed in confusion.

"My Lord? What is it you plan on doing?"

Zuko smiled, and his scarred face - lined by years of hardship - eased up slightly.

"Reaching out to the only person I trust to help us now."

* * *

Sokka yawned for the third time in five minutes. He blinked slowly before shaking his head, trying to clear the last vestiges of sleep from his mind.

The journey to the Fire Nation had been a long and confusing one. He'd been in the middle of a lovely dream about an all you can eat buffet presided over by several rather attractive-looking young ladies, when suddenly a bird had landed on his face and screeched in his ear.

After he had wiped all blood off his face (screaming in confused fear and attempting to rip the hawk off hadn't worked as he'd intended, the sharp claws ripping at his cheeks and forehead a bit), he'd read the letter the creature had brought to him. It hadn't said much.

A summons from the Fire Lord was not something to ignore, but there had been an urgent tone to it that worried Sokka. Whatever it was Zuko wanted, it wasn't going to be good.

Fortunately, he had his own private airship, one that he, the Mechanist and some of the former Fire Nation army war machine designers had worked on. It was nothing compared to Zuko's own flagship, but it worked very nicely in Sokka's opinion.

The trip from the South Pole had been short and uneventful - except for the time Sokka fell asleep at the controls. Fortunately he'd woken up and gotten back on track in time to prevent a crash landing. He'd been much more careful afterwards.

As he docked the airship, ideas ran through his mind at what Zuko might need him for. Advice on what to wear? Unlikely, he'd never shown much interest in fashion, and had several servants for that particular task anyway. A friendly game of Pai Sho? Neither of them were much good at it.

Walking through Caldera City, the city was as relaxed as ever. Nothing indicated a massive threat over their heads, at any rate. Perhaps he was just being paranoid? Katara often labelled him as a pessimist.

He reached the palace and was ushered in by guards. It certainly wasn't his imagination, they definitely seemed more alert than usual. Something was up for sure. Had Zuko fallen afoul of a coup - were they rounding up all his allies?

His hand strayed to Space Sword's hilt, the newly recovered meteor blade a cool, familiar comfort. If push came to shove, he was confident he could win against most opponents.

Thankfully his visions of hostile takeovers proved to be false when he was greeted by his friend (who, Sokka noted, was not in his usual Fire Lord's robes and seated at a nondescript table), staring down at the wooden surface as though the world was about to fall open beneath him.

The older boy glanced up after a moment, catching his eye. Some small measure of relief crossed over Zuko's face, though his weariness was still deep-seeded. Zuko gestured for Sokka to join him, and the Water Tribe warrior did so, shifting about to get comfortable.

Zuko dismissed their guards and leaned back in thought for a moment. Sokka looked around, before deciding to break the ice.

"So, how's Mai?" He asked, and then regretted it as pain briefly flashed in Zuko's undamaged eye.

"She's… She's good. And safe, that's all that matters." His voice was soft, but there was a note of bitter exhaustion within.

"Listen, Sokka. Things are bad right now, really bad. There are bandits making trouble in the Earth Kingdom, spiritual unrest at the North Pole and last night - we got a hawk from the Facility. Code Blue."

Sokka's blood froze in his veins. Code Blue meant only one thing… His nightmares unleashed.

Azula was free.

He tried to speak, but only croaked. Licking his lips and swallowing, he tried again.

"And you need me to… attempt a retrieval? Why not-"

Zuko cut him off, shaking his head.

"It has to be you, Sokka. My hands are tied dealing with the Earth King. Aang's got his own problems, and I can't have the public knowing - it would cause riots, or worse. I've kept it under wraps as much as I can, but you're the only one I trust enough to do what needs to be done."

Part of Sokka was touched at his friend's faith in him. The rest was currently being consumed by complete terror.

He sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Okay. What do we know?" He asked.

"Last night, guards were performing a routine check up, when they found there was no one in the cell. Everything had been burnt to a crisp, nothing but cinders. One of them went off to spread the alarm, while the other had a look through the wreckage, and was then attacked from behind," Zuko informed him.

"I see. Were there any signs of other people, like a breakout attempt? Or was it just a solo escape?"

Zuko shook his head.

"No, it seemed she had been waiting in a corner, they somehow didn't spot her. When the opportunity arose, she fled."

"And the guard, how's he?" Sokka questioned.

"He'll live, at least." Sokka didn't need to know more.

"Right. Well, Zuko, I know you don't need to hear it, but you were warned that letting her keep her bending was a mistake."

In fact, Sokka hadn't been the only one against sparing the mad princess her father's fate. But Zuko had overruled them, hoping with all his might his sister could somehow eventually be brought to the light.

The consequences of his choice weighed heavily on him, Sokka could tell. It would be a long time after Azula was recaptured before the Fire Lord would sleep easily.

"Yes, I know. But if it had been Katara…" Zuko had trailed off. Sokka understood, even if he didn't like it. That was why he hadn't protested too much at the time.

He'd protested more later on, when they'd coerced him into visiting her. He'd been stridently against the move, but the others had seen it as a potential boost to her recovery to have someone she could talk to - someone she wasn't outright filled with hatred towards at least.

It had been an interesting experience, but there had been a sense of wrongness the whole time. There he had been, in a dim cell with a restrained Azula, attempting to talk about menial things and forget the fact that she had tried to destroy him and all his friends.

It was true that she'd been surprisingly civil with him, Sokka supposed. She hadn't tried to burn him more than once per session, or insulted him too often. They'd even managed to have a decent conversation a few times.

But it hadn't worked, clearly. And now he was going to have to go after an unchained Azula, with no back-up. Things were not looking good and he hadn't even taken a single step yet.

"Have you spoken to Ozai? Maybe he might know something." It was a long shot, but better that all angles were covered.

Zuko scowled at the mention of his father.

"I have. He laughed at me, but didn't seem to care beyond that. But I've doubled the guards, just in case she tries to free him."

What exactly she would gain from freeing the imprisoned, powerless former-Fire Lord was anyone's guess. His brief talks with her hadn't exactly painted her impressions of him as loving, though she didn't have a good word for anyone in truth.

"Okay, Zuko. I'll find her, but I'm going to need a few things."

* * *

It was several hours later that Sokka was ready to go. Azula had a big lead on him, but she was a lone girl with nothing but the clothes on her back and probably not in any shape to make rational decisions.

He was dressed in nondescript brown garments, with a bag of dark, feature-obscuring replacements for nightwear. He had plenty of food and the best mongoose-lizard the Fire Nation had to offer (though he'd much prefer a shirshu.)

Firstly he had to figure out where she might have gone. Her former bastions of power - Caldera City and Ba Sing Se, had been rooted out of her minions. It was quite likely she was wandering the wilderness.

He'd ridden hard to the Facility where she had been kept, and began examining the surrounding areas.

Sokka's finely honed tracking sense had revealed a small trail of broken twigs and a smear of soot. He'd followed the marks carefully, but was briefly lead off course to a hole occupied by a rather grumpy squirrelmouse.

When he'd bandaged his bitten finger, he returned to the path, picking up the scent once more. Azula hadn't been concerned with concealing her footsteps, instead running as fast as she could.

A spatter of dried blood on a tree root revealed she had injured herself somehow, possibly scraping herself on a branch in her haste to get away. It certainly wasn't fresh.

Eventually the trail of debris and the occasional scorch mark lead him to a stream. There were definite signs of something entering the water. Sokka hoped it was her, and not a boarcuepine. Sadly there were no signs of an exit on the opposite bank.

He walked the length of the river to the left for a bit, before turning around and going right. About fifty metres on he spotted scrapings on the other side. He silently thanked the Spirits he had a mongoose-lizard, and crossed the stream easily without getting wet.

Back on track, he followed the wet, muddy footprints that were left on the fallen leaves. Azula had been clever in her attempt, but he wasn't that easy to give the slip.

After an hour of slowly travelling her path, he made a rather unpleasant discovery - the half-charred carcass of a hogmonkey. It was long dead, and there were signs of having been picked at by something. Possibly scavengers, but more likely Azula herself. The thought almost turned Sokka's stomach.

More investigation of the area revealed a small hollow in a large tree, perhaps large enough for two people to squeeze in. There were scratches in the dirt and a large imprint where something had rested for some time. Perhaps she'd taken the opportunity to grab some sleep after her meal.

Sokka urged his mount onwards, he was surely getting close. The signs were getting fresher all the time. He made good progress, travelling onwards until suddenly there was nothing.

Confused, Sokka glanced around. The trail had just stopped all of a sudden. Dismounting his mongoose-lizard, he began to search for more clues as to her path.

A horribly familiar scent caught his nose - ash. He raced forward to find a break in the trees and saw the burnt remains of several small saplings, smoke still faintly rising from them. Worse than that was the multitude of footprints, and a small pool of blood. It had hardly congealed.

This was not good. Sokka turned around to reclimb his mount, only to find that the mongoose-lizard wasn't there and a sword pointing at his chest.

"I wouldn't move if I was you, pal." The man holding the sword told him. Behind him stood three other men, one holding the reins of his mongoose-lizard and the other two the bound and struggling form of the princess.

Her hair was long and tangled, twigs and leaves stuck in its dark depths. Scratches and bruises marred her bare skin, especially her face. Worst of all were her eyes, deep-gold and filled with twisted hatred. And, Sokka noted with dread, a definite note of fear.

He leaned away from the point of the blade, putting on his most charming smile.

"Hey now, there's no need to be like that, is there? I'm sure we can be friends."

The swordsman snorted.

"Ye hear that lads? Friends, 'e says," the man chuckled.

His comrades laughed too, shaking Azula a bit, who writhed all the harder. The commander of the group ceased his mirth, straightening up and narrowing his eyes.

"Now, what is yer business here? We don't like strangers wanderin' around our territory, as this one found out the hard way," he gestured at Azula with a thumb.

Still grinning but with sweat beginning to roll down his neck, Sokka shrugged.

"Well, she's the reason why I'm here, to be quite honest. She's, uh… She's my bride to be, in fact! Yes, but she got cold feet and ran away, and I had to retrieve her. So, if you'd just like to hand her and my lizard over, we can be back on our way home and leave you in peace." It was not his best story, but it would have to do.

The man's eyes narrowed, his gaze passing between the two.

"Yer bride to be? Well, isn't that a happy story, eh? Ye've get yerself a real firecracker, she damn near torched Zhan over there. Didn't yer?" He directed the last remark at Azula, walking up to her. She growled at him unintelligibly, unable to do more with the leather gag in her mouth.

The commander glanced back at Sokka for a moment and smirked, before suddenly striking Azula with the back of his hand. Sokka flinched, his hand immediately dropping to Space Sword's hilt.

"Aye, she's lucky we found her, all sorts o' terrible things live 'round here. Coulda been chanced upon by something quite foul. But it seems she don't have nothing to repay our kindness.

"We was plannin' on having a wee bit of fun with her, if ye catch me drift, but if she's yours then perhaps ye might want to… make us an offer," the man grinned viciously.

Sokka smiled nervously.

"Sadly I didn't bring any gold with me…"

"No? That's a right shame, that is. She's a pretty wee get, I'd hate to see her get a bit roughed up. Say, that's a nice looking sword ye've got there, why don't ye show it to us," the man told him.

A sense of fear crept steadily into Sokka's heart, but he dutifully complied, slowly unsheathing his beloved blade. The deep black hue of the meteorite brought a sense of awe to all who beheld it.

"Well now, that's quite the weapon fer sure. I ain't never seen a sword that colour," the bandit leader whispered reverentially.

The outlaw holding the mongoose-lizard suddenly perked up.

"I've heard tale of a black sword. They say that the Water Tribe king had one," the mook said.

The commander looked at him with a note of disdain.

"The Water Tribes have never had no king, ye daft fool."

The man shrugged.

"S'what I heard. They say he was given it by the moon herself, because she loved him. It could cut through solid steel like it was paper."

The rest of the men began to laugh, but the leader silenced them, interested despite himself. Sokka's mind was blank with confusion and nostalgia.

"Do they now. And what else do 'they' say about this king o' yers?" He asked.

His subordinate thought about it for a moment.

"They say he summoned an army, and invaded the Fire Nation the day the sky went dark. That he destroyed their airship fleet - with one their own airships. They say he lived with the Avatar, teaching him all he knew. He even killed a dragon with his bare hands."

Sokka certainly didn't remember that last part happening.

"Oh, aye? And what happened to this s'posed king and his 'mystical blade', then?"

The robber shrugged in confusion, pulling on the reins of the mongoose-lizard. Sokka smiled to himself. While their attention had been on their story, he'd been been slowly moving away.

"Actually, I can answer that question - he lost it. But it was returned to him, and now he uses it to dispense justice," Sokka interjected, swinging the blade. It sliced through Azula's bound hands and feet, freeing her instantly.

The bandits reacted immediately, attempting to draw their own weapons, but they weren't nearly quick enough. Azula's flames caught two them, igniting their clothes. The brigand who had been holding Sokka's mongoose-lizard released it, and it bolted.

The leader snarled angrily, swinging his blade at Sokka, who parried the strike without much difficulty. The other one drew a small dagger, attempting to get close enough to Azula but was warded off her by flaming torrents. The remaining bandits rolled around on the floor, attempting to put the fire engulfing their bodies out.

Though the bandit leader was clearly no novice at fighting, he was outmatched by Sokka. Space Sword clashed against its inferior steel counterpart, biting deep into the metal until the other blade had been sheared in two.

Left with only half a weapon, the leader turned to flee, grabbing one of his men and throwing him in Sokka's way. Sokka attempted to shove the man down and go after him, but he was beaten to the punch.

The air crackled with power, and a white light began to emanate. Sokka shut his eyes as the lightning struck. When he opened them again, the smoking corpse of the chief outlaw was lying in the dirt.

There was movement near him, and then pain. Sokka roared angrily, lashing out with his sword, and the bandit next to him fell down, his innards spilling out from the deep wound.

Sokka yanked at the blade now lodged in his side. Thankfully it hadn't hit anything vital or gone particularly deep, but it hurt like hell. More movement caught his eye, and he readied himself, but it was only Azula.

Her clothes were little more than rags and her ratty hair now was now coated in blood. The gag had been ripped from mouth, and she was busy looking through a small bag one of the bandits had dropped. Snatching something out of it, she quickly shoved it in her mouth and began chewing. Sokka supposed it was food and was mildly jealous.

"Azula…" He began.

Her eyes darted to his and then narrowed, and she readied herself into an attack stance, blue flames beginning to form on her fingertips.

"Easy, easy! Let's not be hasty now," he exclaimed, hoping she wouldn't kill him outright. "If it wasn't for me you'd be dead or worse."

Azula stood still for a moment, before standing normally.

"I'm not going back." Her voice was weak from disuse and held nothing of the mockery of the past.

He stared at her for a moment, trying to think of the best way to approach her. A caution step forward had her tensing up, and he eased off.

"Listen Azula, you can't stay here, you know that. There's wild animals and, well," he nudged the man he had just killed, "people too. You've got nothing, no provisions, no money - no friends. You want to live off of whatever you can catch and burn for the rest of your life? And it won't be a long one, believe me," he told her.

His statement didn't seem to sway her.

"It's better than before," she muttered, looking down. A shudder ran through her body.

"Is it? You'll be dead in a week if you're lucky. Come back with me to the Fire Nation. Repent your sins. Zuko loves you, the idiot that he is, he wants to help."

She looked back up at him, fire in her eyes.

"Help? Help? What does he know of help! He threw me in a cell to rot, like he did father! He left me… They always leave me." The last part was almost inaudible, a confession he'd not been meant to hear. The strong, proud conqueror of the past was nothing more than a broken, wretched teenage girl.

He stood there for a moment, before sighing to himself, and walking before her. She didn't react until he put a hand to her shoulder, and she looked up at him.

"When I first met Zuko, I hated him. He invaded my home and captured my friend. So many times he followed us, fighting us across the whole world, seeking to regain his honour. He did many bad things, but he was lost and needed guidance.

"So many people reached out to him, tried to show him the way - Aang, Iroh, even Katara. But he pushed them aside, because he thought he could do it on his own. And he couldn't.

"Eventually he realised what he needed most of all - what all people need - was a helping hand once in a while. We lifted him out of the darkness. And now he's a man I'm proud to call my friend.

"In the Water Tribe, we have a saying - 'those who rage against the tide drown, but they who follow the wave can survive'. Things can get better, but they won't if you don't try. And we can help you, I promise."

He held a hand out to her after his speech. She looked at it for a moment, confusion clear on her face, before she was filled with resolve. She sneered at him for a moment, and Sokka thought with dread that she would spurn his offer, but then she nodded.

"Fine," she declared, ignoring his hand and moving past him. "I'll come with you. But I'm not going back to the asylum."

For a moment Sokka wasn't sure how to react, and settled for just grunting noncommittally. Wiping his still bloody sword on a tree, he sheathed it again.

"Let's just hope my mongoose-lizard hasn't gone too far," he said, the idea of the long walk back not pleasant at all.

Azula didn't respond, not waiting for him to catch up at all and he followed after her.


	2. Restored

The journey back to civilisation was uneventful, though they had been on high alert, jumping at every noise and staring at shadows as they rode through the woods. Few words were exchanged between them, neither entirely sure how to react to their companion.

Zuko was there to greet them at the border to the Fire Nation, along with many guards. Azula had clutched at Sokka unconsciously as her brother surveyed the pair, but rejected his help on dismounting the mongoose-lizard, meeting the Fire Lord with her head held high.

Sokka stood back for a moment, watching the siblings reunite. It was awkward to say the least, neither moving a muscle as they watched the other. After a moment, Zuko broke eye contact, nodding to one of his guards, who began to unload the mongoose-lizard of the bags obtained from the bandits.

Zuko looked to Sokka, who smiled unsurely in response, before turning away and heading back towards the palace. Sokka stood for a moment and then tapped Azula on the shoulder.

"Come on," he said.

Azula snarled angrily but acquiesced, striding after Zuko. The remaining guards fell into step alongside the pair, their hands clutching swords and polearms.

The palace was a hive of activity, people bustled around doing their jobs like ants in a nest. Azula glanced up at the walls, noting the stuffed dragon heads had been removed. Her golden eyes narrowed, resenting her elder brother for his disregard of their family's history.

The scarred Fire Lord lead them to the Throne Room, where he settled himself upon his ancient seat. He signaled for the guards to leave them.

"Your majesty," one spoke out in disapproval, "how can we protect you if we are elsewhere?"

Zuko regarded him evenly.

"I can handle myself against an underfed and exhausted girl, General. Not to mention Sokka is here as well."

The look the general gave Sokka very clearly conveyed his faith in Sokka's ability to defend his ruler, but he bowed low and exited with all his men.

For a moment, the three stood in silence, before Sokka coughed, gesturing to the fallen princess.

"One prisoner returned as promised, your Fire Lordiness," he said, chuckling nervously.

Both royals glowered at the statement, but Zuko nodded once, his dark countenance lifting slightly.

"Thank you, Sokka. You've proven yourself a friend of the Fire Nation once again," he told his friend.

Sokka shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck at the praise.

"Never thought I'd be told that. Man, my life has taken a turn for the weird," the Water Tribe warrior remarked.

Zuko grunted, turning his gaze to his little sister who matched his stare with defiance in her eyes.

"Azula. I see you're the same as ever," the former exile greeted her.

She hissed under her breath, her scowl becoming more pronounced.

"I wish I could say the same for you. It would brighten my spirits to see you fail over and over." Her voice was still weak, but sharper than before.

Zuko's face was stone, her twisted laughs not affecting him in the slightest.

"I would not speak of failure, Azula. You didn't win the Last Agni Kai."

The girl scoffed, her mouth twisting into a smirk.

"No. But as I recall, you did not come away unscathed. If it weren't for the water peasant girl, I would be seated where you are. Tell me, how is your chest?" She asked.

Zuko rubbed the scarred flesh on his abdomen through his robes.

"Fine. Katara's a good healer. Or perhaps you're not as strong as you think - your lightning didn't kill Aang either," he replied.

"Ask the peasant here how strong my lightning is," she jabbed a thumb at Sokka. "It certainly dealt with that pathetic bandit."

Zuko regarded Sokka, his scarred eye seemed to stare into the warrior's soul. Sokka grinned sheepishly.

"Okay, so we ran into a few outlaws, it was no big deal. We sorted them out easily enough," Sokka insisted.

"Were you injured?" Zuko inquired.

"Uh. I might've been stabbed a little bit. It's just a scrape, nothing to worry about," Sokka waved his hand in a placating manner.

Zuko raised his remaining eyebrow, but simply nodded.

"I'll send for a healer to see to you. In the meantime, you can get some rest, you've earned it," Zuko dismissed him.

"Thanks. I think I might grab a bite to eat first though," Sokka smiled, beginning to leave.

He stopped just before the doorway and turned back.

"What's to be done with her?" He cocked his head at Azula.

"That remains to be seen. What does it matter?" Zuko said.

Sokka shrugged.

"It's just... well, locking her up didn't work. Maybe you should try something else?"

Azula stared at him blankly as Zuko frowned.

"What did you have in mind?"

The Water Tribe warrior shifted in place for a moment.

"Hey, beats me. I just know you can't fix something by pretending it isn't broken."

With that final remark, he headed out of the Throne Room.

* * *

The new day started bright and early for Sokka. Some charitable fellow had the presence of mind to leave a small bowl of seaweed dumplings for a breakfast snack at his bedside table, so he enjoyed the food while he prepared for what lay ahead.

Dressed and ready, he wandered out the door, not completely certain of his plans for the morning. Perhaps he would look over his airship and ensure it was ready for the return trip home, which would hopefully be soon. The Fire Nation was nice and all (these days at least), but it wasn't the South Pole.

Casually whistling to himself, he traversed the halls of the Royal Palace before he was suddenly grabbed from the side and whisked into the shadows. His hand immediately fell to Space Sword's hilt, before he felt the cold, metallic touch of a sharp blade at his throat.

"Don't say anything," a female voice declared.

Sokka froze in place, waiting patiently as the knife was pulled away. The second it was away from his flesh, he spun and shoved, pushing the woman behind him against a wall and grabbing her hands.

For a moment, the two stared at each other. Sokka took in the glossy black hair and silver eyes, and hurriedly released his captive.

"Mai. Fancy meeting you here," he greeted the Fire Lady with no small amount of confusion. "Heard Zuko had you put elsewhere for your protection."

Mai's eyes narrowed further as she picked up her fallen knife. Swiftly sheathing it, she glared at him.

"My beloved husband still has a lot to learn," the dour woman declared.

Sokka did not envy him the lessons he was sure to be receiving soon, mighty Fire Lord or not.

"Sucks to be him. As much as I enjoy being accosted and threatened, was there a reason for you dragging me into this dark corner? I mean, I know I'm handsome and all, but I wouldn't do that to Zuko if that's what you're after," he grinned.

Mai's expression cut deeper than Space Sword could ever hope to, killing Sokka's smile instantly.

"Azula. I know she's here." Mai told him.

Sokka winced, but then he shrugged.

"Well, yeah. The asylum didn't seem to help, did it?" He said.

"Nothing will help her," Mai stated darkly. "Keep an eye on her. If she even blinks wrong..."

Sokka stared at the woman in disbelief.

"Are you really asking me to- Mai, she was your friend. Surely it won't come down to that," Sokka protested.

Mai just looked at him.

"I know Azula, what she's capable of. Snuff the flame before it becomes a wildfire."

Message delivered, the knife-thrower turned away, marching down the hallway. Sokka hesitated a moment before following after her.

He caught up with her as she entered the Throne Room, the guards at the door letting her pass uncontested. Zuko stood inside, looking up from a piece of paper at their arrival.

"Mai?" Zuko gasped. "I thought..."

Mai fixed her husband with a glare.

"We'll talk later," she stated.

Zuko nodded, looking to Sokka.

"Where's Azula?" The southern boy asked.

Zuko sighed, rubbing his scarred eye.

"Still asleep. I let her have her old room, with a few guards outside."

"Men you can trust?" Sokka asked.

Zuko looked at him for a moment.

"I trust all my guards."

Sokka laughed, nodding.

"I guess there would be no point in having them if you didn't. So, is that it? 'Cause Gran-Gran's seal jerky is waiting for me back home."

"Sorry Sokka, your food will have to wait. I need your help still," Zuko told him.

"Everyone does in the end. Okay, what is it now? Want me to fight more bandits?" He questioned.

Zuko shook his head.

"You were right. The asylum's not the right way to go about fixing Azula," Zuko began.

"Let me guess. You want me to turn her from a psycho into a relatively normal human being. Man, I always get the tough jobs. Can't you get Aang to do it? He loves that kind of stuff."

It struck Sokka how exhausted Zuko looked, the bags under his eyes were so pronounced as the Fire Lord ran a hand over his face.

"Aang's still busy in the north. And even if he wasn't, Katara would never allow him near her. Besides, you were the one to talk to her before."

"Like that ever amounted to anything," Sokka replied. "Fine. I'll do it. But don't blame me if it doesn't work."

* * *

The Royal Palace was a marvel, truly. Built at the height of the Fire Nation's power, it was resplendent, thoroughly coated in finery and dripping with opulence.

Azula couldn't help but sigh to herself as she sank into her bed, laden with crimson silks and stuffed with turtleduck feathers. It felt heavenly after the wooden boards in the Asylum or the cold, hard ground she had endured in her brief moment of freedom.

True, it wasn't as good as it could have been. Though the Princess's chambers were of the highest quality, even they paled in comparison to the majesty of the Fire Lord's personal quarters. Sadly that particular avenue had been closed to her.

Some nights she wondered about what might have been. It was a somber thought. Her defeat at the hands of the waterbender had destroyed her utterly, but time had opened her eyes - the path she had taken was doomed to fail.

Yet, luck was with her. The water tribe peasant had prevented her from earning a very unfortunate fate, delivering her from a band of vicious outlaws and the unpredictable wilderness.

She lay on her bed with only a single candle, flickering with deep blue flame, to light her room. She could hear the guards posted outside talking amongst themselves. It would be easy to take them out, even in her current weakened state.

But what would be the point? There was nowhere to run. She was so tired now. Was it so bad to give in? She'd lost, but a princess surrenders with honour.

There was a knocking sound. Azula frowned, raising her head to stare at the door. The sound came again.

"Azula? You awake?" A voice called.

It was that infernal snow savage. What could he possibly want? She considered just ignoring him for a moment, but then rose from the bed and opened the door.

He stood in the doorway, his eyes raking over her. Azula supposed she looked a lot different now, washed and dressed in something other than rags from the asylum. After a moment she cleared her throat, and his eyes shot up to hers.

He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. She scrutinized him as he mulled whatever it was he wanted to say over.

"Are you alright?" He eventually asked.

Was she? Azula wasn't even sure. Certainly she was better off now than she was only a day before.

She settled for a curt nod and he smiled slightly, running a hand through his short hair.

"Listen, can I come in?" Sokka asked, still lingering in the doorway.

She didn't respond, but turned away and sat back on her bed. Sokka took that to be an invitation and shut the door behind him. For a moment he stood, and then spied a chair and sank into it.

The pair regarded each other for a long while, and the Sokka coughed.

"Um. So, you're not going back to the asylum. That's the good news. But you're 'on probation', sort of. If you can show Zuko you know how to be a decent human being, he won't have your bending taken away and shove you in a cell with daddy dearest."

Azula bared her teeth, raising her right hand. A ball of writhing blue flame sprang into life on her palm.

"I'd like to see him try," Azula growled.

Sokka stared at her and shook his head in exasperation.

"That? That was precisely the thing we want not to happen," he said. "Okay, here's the deal. I've been press-ganged into helping out on this, so we're just gonna have to find out some common ground or something."

Sokka thought for a moment.

"Do you have any hobbies or something? Ones that don't involve burning stuff or conquering places, I mean."

Azula's face was stony, but then she spoke.

"When I was little, before Father made me stop, I used to-," she suddenly clammed up. "No. It's none of your business."

Sokka wasn't sure if that was progress or not.

"Hey, don't be like that. Your dad isn't gonna stop you now. I won't tell anyone, either."

Azula didn't respond. Sokka watched for for many minutes, before giving up for the time being. As he rose from his chair to leave, Azula suddenly spoke.

"I used to have a hawk. I trained it to hunt and intercept other hawks. But Father didn't approve, he thought it too girlish. One day, he took me out to see the hawk, and burned it in front of me. From then on, he would teach me to firebend like him, so I wouldn't be weak and die like the hawk."

Sokka froze in his tracks. Did Ozai have no limit for cruelty? It didn't seem like it.

"I had a hawk too, y'know. He's called Hawky. I don't see him much since he lives in the Earth Kingdom, but I bet I could have him brought over. He could use the exercise, I bet."

He gave her a small smile. Azula's face was neutral as she gazed back at him, but she nodded.

"Great. In the meantime, maybe I could show you what I do in my spare time. This boomerang of mine can do some neat tricks," Sokka looked at the sleeping robe that covered her. "I'll leave you to get dressed first."

Azula watched him go. Spending time with the water peasant was hardly her idea of fun, but it was better than rotting in the asylum.

Besides, how else was she to know what he was capable of? Keep your subjects close and your enemies closer.

Who knows, she might even get the chance to see him injure himself with his own weapon. The thought was a warming one.


	3. Reformed

There was a whooshing noise as the steel blade spun through the air. It curved, slicing cleanly into the moon peach as though it was made of air. The fruit split in two with a wet splat, both halves landing neatly on the plate.

"Woohoo! See the master at work!" Sokka hollered, ambling over to the post the plate was perched upon.

Grinning to himself in pride, he picked up one of the pieces, bringing it to his eye and examining the perfect cut before shoving it in his mouth.

He looked to the girl behind him, who stared back with a look of complete disinterest. He waved the other peach half at her.

"Want it?" He asked her, still chewing.

Azula blinked slowly, shaking her head once after a moment. Sokka shrugged, taking a bite out of it. When the peach was completely devoured, he regarded his companion again.

"So," he began, wiping his chin free of juice with the back of his hand, "since we're still waiting on Hawky to arrive from the Earth Kingdom, and you're somehow not enthralled by my amazing skills, what do you feel like doing in the meanwhile?"

The young woman's face tightened in momentary disdain at uncouth action, before her brow furrowed. After a moment's contemplation she rose from the carved marble bench, turning back towards the palace.

"I feel like being somewhere peaceful on my own and out of these horrendous rags," the princess stated.

Sokka's eyebrow rose as he examined her. The firebender was wearing a long black dress made of pure unadorned silk. Since Azula's own clothes no longer fitted her, she had been forced to borrow something from Mai which hadn't pleased either of them.

Still, until the royal tailor had finished making her something suitable, she had no choice but to wear it. Zuko had managed to find some of Ursa's old clothes that had somehow survived Ozai's purges after he exiled his wife, and had been very angry after Azula torched them herself.

"Well, sadly I can't help you with either of those things, I'm afraid," Sokka denied her.

Azula's lips peeled back into a snarl, but Sokka ignored her aggressive display with practiced ease. After a moment a thought struck him.

"Hey, I have an idea, actually. Why don't you do some meditating or something? Don't you firebenders love to do that? Zuko's always going on about how it 'helps ease the inner fire' or whatever."

Azula considered this. Meditation had been a constant in her life in previous years, helping her tame her firebending. It had been a necessity on her path to creating lightning. She'd since given up the practice during her incarceration.

"Fine. If only to cease your prattling - meditation requires silence. Not that I expect that you're capable of being quiet for any length of time," Azula said.

Sokka smirked at her, not at all bothered by her words.

"Oh, then I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong, won't I? Just call me Sokka the Silent," he boasted.

His smile died at Azula's flat stare, and the girl deigned not to comment as she walked back to the palace. Pulling a face at her retreating back, he nonetheless followed after her.

* * *

Meditation was awful, Sokka had decided.

He'd been sat in this room for twenty minutes now. The flickering of the candles was beginning to make his head hurt, but Azula had insisted that the windows be blocked up.

He gazed at her, admiring the serenity on her face. She'd never looked so peaceful before, freed of the disdain and smugness that usually coated her features. It made her look more human that he'd ever thought possible.

She breathed in and out steadily, the flames growing and shrinking with the rise and fall of her chest. What exactly this achieved, Sokka couldn't tell - anyone could breathe deeply. He'd tried it himself for a minute, but it had been unenlightening.

Still, it seemed to work for her. With any luck it would provide her soul with peace, or whatever it was Aang kept speaking of. The monk was a firm believer of redemption through repentance, and that all people could strive for absolution within themselves.

Sokka was not so hopeful, but Zuko had achieved it at least. There was a chance that Azula might feel remorse and come to be a useful, normal member of society in time. It was unfortunate that he was the one who had to see it through, but that was just his luck.

His stomach rumbled. It was nearly noon now, and he'd only had a peach since breakfast. All those boomerang tricks had worked up an appetite. Azula was fine, locked in her own little bubble, could he get away with leaving her for a bit?

Glancing back at her stone-still face, he nodded to himself. He wouldn't be long, she wouldn't even know he'd left. Or care even if she did, he supposed. Gingerly he eased himself off of the floor, creeping over to the door.

* * *

Patting his now full stomach, Sokka sighed to himself in satisfaction as he opened the door. He halted mid step, frowning at the dark room. Why had all the candles gone out?

A few paces into the room revealed the horrifying truth - Azula was not there. Fear coursed through Sokka. He was charged with keeping an eye on the princess, Mai would skin him alive if she found out he'd gone and lost her.

"Damn it. Where the hell did she go?" He muttered to himself, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

The empty room did not answer, and he stood in the darkness. She could be anywhere, some hidden nook or cranny. Sokka barely knew his way around the palace, she'd grown up here. He might never find her.

"Okay, Sokka, think. If I were a mad firebender girl and I felt like being annoying and hiding somewhere, where would it be?"

Nothing sprang to mind. Perhaps Zuko would know, but Sokka was wary of disturbing the Fire Lord. His friend had enough issues on his plate without having to worry about Sokka being incapable of following simple orders.

There was nothing for it - he'd simply have to look around and hope. At the very least she'd go to bed when it got dark and Sokka would know to be more careful in future.

"Looking for someone?" A voice sounded an inch from his ear.

Sokka screamed and jumped away, completely startled. He tripped over his legs, tumbling to the ground in a messy head of limbs. A pair of feet appeared in his vision, and he followed them up to a face.

Azula smirked at him, traces of her old personality shining through.

"With reflexes like that, it's astonishing you're considered some kind of warrior. But then again, to most peasants any fool with a weapon is a master fighter," she mocked him.

Sokka pushed himself off of the floor, struggling back to his feet. Once standing he coughed, glaring at her slightly.

"If I wasn't a master warrior, you'd still be in a forest somewhere surrounded by bandits, in case you've forgotten," he reminded her.

Azula's eyes narrowed in irritation, but she didn't respond to the barb, turning away from him to stalk out of the room. Sokka rolled his eyes and walked after her. This time he'd keep her in his sights.

* * *

It was three days later that Sokka finally got to greet his old friend. Hawky seemed a little bigger than before, his feathers shinier and better kept than Sokka remembered. But the bird still had a regal air to him, possibly even moreso than before.

He wasted no time in getting reacquainted with his pet, telling the hawk everything that had happened in the time they'd spent apart. Hawky listened attentively, though naturally couldn't understand a word the Water Tribe warrior was saying.

He'd just finished a tale about an attempt at recovering Space Sword from the burned remains of the airship fleet graveyard when Azula had appeared, clad in new clothes designed completely for her.

Sokka froze mid-sentence, staring at her for a moment before shutting his hanging jaw. He grinned at her, raising the arm Hawky was currently perched upon.

"Hawky, this is Azula. She used to be evil but we're working on it, so you and her are gonna have to be friends, okay?" He spoke to his pet.

Azula's expression clearly informed him of her view on his sanity, but he steadfastly ignored it, offering the hawk to her. She gingerly held out her own hand and Hawky leapt from Sokka to her, gently gripping her forearm in his talons.

"I think he likes you already, good," Sokka said, turning away from them and heading out into the palace grounds.

He'd knocked some more wooden posts into the ground and had also rigged up some strange contraption out of cloth and sticks. A bowl of raw squirrelmouse meat lay next to it on the ground, the flesh all chopped up into small bits.

"Okay, so I was thinking maybe we could try a bit of hunting. Sadly Zuko told me we weren't allowed to hunt any actual wildlife, the spoilsport, so I built this: the Hawkinator!" Sokka said, flourishing his arm at his device.

Azula frowned at it, raising an eyebrow at him.

"What is it?" She asked after a moment.

"I'm glad you asked," Sokka grinned, picking it up. "The Hawkinator is designed to simulate the flight of a bird, so that Hawky here can capture it. Observe."

He hefted the device in a hand, hurling it into the air. It glided smoothly, and Sokka watched it for a moment before whistling.

"Go on Hawky, get it!" He called to his bird.

Hawky did not move, instead choosing to preen his feathers as he stood on Azula's arm. Sokka pouted as the Hawkinator flew uncontested before losing altitude and sinking to the ground.

"Impressive." Azula said as Sokka retrieved his fallen invention.

"Okay, so that was a bust. Come on Hawky, where's your predatory instinct?" Sokka asked.

Picking the bowl of chopped meat up, he waved it at the bird.

"You can have some if you play along, Hawky," he wheedled.

Hawky flapped his wings once, staring at the bowl hungrily. Sokka smiled, placing the bowl back down and turning to throw the Hawkinator once more.

Hawky immediately alighted from Azula's hand, but to Sokka's horror did not follow the machine. Instead the messenger hawk landed next to the bowl of meat, eagerly snatching a piece out of it and devouring it whole.

"Hawky, no!" Sokka called, quickly grabbing the bowl from the ground. Hawky screeched in annoyance, glaring at Sokka with his avian eyes. Azula stared blankly at him, thoroughly unimpressed.

"Well, this has been entertaining," she snarked.

Sokka scowled at her, before sighing in defeat and throwing the bowl back down to the ground.

"I hoped that this would actually work, but guess it's back to the drawing board," he said, resigned.

Azula hesitated for a moment before a look of resolve passed over her face.

"Pick that thing back up," she ordered him.

Sokka looked at her in confusion, his brow creasing.

"What for?" He asked. "Hawky's not interested in it."

"Just do it," Azula insisted.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Sokka stared at her for a moment longer before shrugging and once more reclaiming the Hawkinator. He threw it harder than before, and the wind took it.

"Now what?" He asked Azula.

She ignored him, clicking her tongue. Hawky's head popped up from the overturned bowl, looking at her.

"Gongji," she commanded him.

The messenger hawk immediately sprang up from the ground, taking to the skies. Sokka watched in amazement as his pet made a beeline for the gliding Hawkinator, raking the cloth glider with his talons and gripping it in his feet.

Hawky returned to Azula, dropping the damaged machine before her and landing on her outstretched arm. She gently stroked his head, smoothing the feathers.

Sokka's eyes were wide with awe as he goggled at her. He looked between the girl, the bird and the ruined device several times, his mouth opening and closing.

"How?" He said after a minute.

Azula didn't pause in petting the bird, but smirked widely.

"He's a Fire Nation hawk. Naturally, he was trained to respond to our commands. If you'd bothered to learn anything, you'd know that," she explained.

There was a smacking sound as Sokka's palm hit his forehead. He rubbed the injured spot for a moment, before shrugging.

"In my defence, I only had him for one day several years ago," he excused himself. "And then more important stuff came up anyway,"

Azula simply continued to smile, clearly self-contented. Sokka decided that she'd earned it.

"Well, I'm glad at least one of us can control him. Looks like it's you who has to teach me now though. What else can you have him do?" Sokka asked.

Azula thought about it, and a terrible grin began to spread on her lips.

"Is there anyone you particularly don't like around here? One of Zuzu's guards perhaps?" She questioned him.

"Uh, General Yen is a bit of a prick sometimes. Why?"

Azula told him, and Sokka couldn't help but stare in horrified amusement.

At least she was using her powers of evil for good now, he supposed.


	4. Reciprocated

Sokka rubbed his head sheepishly as Zuko stared at him, weary annoyance clearly visible on the scarred man's face.

"In my defence, it was really funny," Sokka said.

"That isn't a defence, Sokka. I can't have you harassing my generals. I have enough trouble trying to keep Azula under wraps and out of the public eye without you two making more of a nuisance of yourselves," Zuko said irritably.

"Hey, it's good for her! Better that she has a little light-hearted fun with no real damage than she burns someone's face off, right? It's progress."

Zuko scowled heavily, rubbing at his uninjured eye. After a moment he shook his head in bemusement, turning away from his friend to read some reports.

"Just don't do it again, please. I need my troops in top condition to fight the last remnants of Ozai's army, and if you're allowed to run around causing havoc unchecked, it lowers morale," he muttered.

Sokka shrugged, but nodded his acceptance.

"Alright. Anything else?" He wondered.

Zuko put down his piece of paper for a moment, contemplating his next few words.

"How is she?" He inquired.

Sokka held out his hand, his palm facing the ground. He tipped his hand up and down slightly.

"You know… better, I suppose. She's not set anything on fire since you found those old clothes of your mother's. I think Hawky's been good for her."

Zuko smiled ever so slightly.

"I knew you'd be able to help her. Just keep at it Sokka, I have faith in you."

Sokka chuckled, grinning back.

"I still think you're crazy for putting me up to this. But who knows? It might work out in the end."

Zuko nodded, picking up a brush and dipping it into a pot of paint.

"I guess I'm dismissed then. See ya, Your Royal Highness," Sokka mocked, turning around and exiting the room.

* * *

The cool water lapped at her feet, soothing her skin. Little fish swam within the pristine pool, but paid her no attention, going about its business.

But her interest wasn't on fish, but instead the family of turtleducks that glided across the pond. A mother and her two little turtleducklings. She watched as the bigger of the two nudged his smaller sister, pushing her ahead of him when she began to fall behind.

Her eyes followed the birds, her face devoid of any emotion. Her mother had loved these little creatures, but Azula had never cared for them. Dimly, her mind recalled the pleasure she had taken in throwing things at the tiny animals.

It had been her own way of showing defiance against Ursula. To prove to herself that she had no need of her, or the things she enjoyed.

Something welled in the back of her mind. It felt suspiciously like regret, and she quashed in ruthlessly. The past was in the past, and she couldn't change any of it.

The sound of footsteps alerted her to another's presence.

"They're cute, aren't they?"

She was good at recognising voices, but his was especially easy these days.

"I'm not one to be taken in by looks," she said archly.

He chuckled, standing closer to her side.

"Well, there goes all my plans then," he said sarcastically.

"Even if I was, you had no chance anyway," she derided him.

He clutched at his chest, faking an injury.

"You really know how to hit where it hurts."

She chose not to reply, still watching the feathered family as they nuzzled one another.

"Zuko used to like hanging out here too. Is there something significant about it?" Sokka wondered.

A flash of annoyance crossed Azula's face, she stood up, stepping out of the pond.

"Not any more," she replied. "What do you want?"

"Me? What does anyone want, really? A long life, happiness, a hot meal, a place to sleep, that sort of thing. I'm pretty easy to please, honestly."

She stared at him before shaking her head once.

"No. What do you want from me, Sokka?"

He raised an eyebrow, running his hand through his wolf tail.

"Nothing. This wasn't my idea, remember? But I have a job to do, and by Tui and La I'm gonna see it through. This isn't gonna be easy, Azula. We both knew that from the start. But we're gettin' somewhere now. We just have to continue until it's all over."

She considered his words for a moment.

"And what then, when Zuzu has seen fit to let me go about without a watchdog?"

Sokka eyed her strangely, confused by her sudden curtness.

"Well, I suppose I'll head back to the South Pole."

His answer didn't seem to please her as much as he'd expected.

"What's the matter, Azula? Isn't that what you want?" He asked.

Her golden gaze burned into his, before she turned away.

"What I want doesn't matter," she mumbled. "It never has."

He reached out, lightly grasping her shoulder, and she twitched but otherwise didn't respond.

"Hey. I'm here to make sure you're as happy and well-adjusted as is humanly possible, provided that there's no conflict between the two, of course. What you want is pretty important. If you ever need anything, make sure you tell me, alright? I'll see it done."

She stared at him, a hint of a smirk curling at the tips of her mouth.

"Anything?" She purred lightly.

He took a step back warily, letting his hand fall to his side.

"Well, within reason, obviously. I can't go and give you the sun or something."

She smiled lightly, a spark of mischievousness glinting in her eye.

"The sun? No, I have something more interesting in mind," she said, taking a step towards him.

Sokka gulped.

* * *

Heat washed over his skin as he narrowly dodged the blazing flame.

"This isn't what I was expecting!" He called, ducking to escape another strike.

"Maybe you should have been more careful then," Azula replied, firing another jet of flame at him.

Around Sokka, piles of wood burned brightly. He cursed, wishing he had kept his mouth shut. He hunkered down behind a handy boulder, gasping as he tried to get air back in his lungs.

Azula walked out of the raging fire, unconcerned by the flames. He looked up into the most devilish grin he'd ever seen, and instantly put his hands up.

"I surrender!" He called desperately.

She snuffed out the flame in her hands, smirking down at him in obvious amusement.

"All talk and no action again, I see," she remarked casually.

He stood up, frowning at her.

"When you said you wanted to play a game, I was thinking Pai Sho, not some sort of sparring match!" He defended himself.

"Maybe you should have spoken to my Uncle, then. I prefer to put my time to more useful pursuits," she said, examining her nails.

"Burning people is not a useful pursuit, Azula. We've talked about this."

"You mean you talked about it and I ignored you. But very well, if you're going to be such a bore then you can leave me to firebend in peace."

Sokka pursed his lips, staring at her with heavy eyes.

"I'm not supposed to leave you for long periods of time. Especially if you're going to firebend. I'm sure there's something we can do together that won't involve someone getting hurt or Zuko telling me off."

Azula gave no indication that she had paid his words any attention for a moment, before she suddenly froze, eyeing him with interest.

"What?" He asked.

She stared at him for a long minute, and then a small smile began to emerge.

"I've heard tale that Zuzu is planning on hosting a little get-together, one of his many attempts to prove to the world that the Fire Nation is no longer a place to be feared."

Sokka nodded warily.

"He is. What of it?" He said.

"Oh, nothing. Are you attending?" She asked airily.

Sokka's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I might be. Zuko says it'll help foster international relations," he admitted.

Azula was looking more and more self-satisfied by the moment.

"And are you aware that having a date to this little soiree is mandatory?" She continued, with the air of a mooselion sneaking up on its prey.

He glared at her, unable to figure out what she was getting at.

"He didn't tell me that," he muttered eventually.

"I rather thought not, seeing as how your last relationship… well, you know."

Despite himself, Sokka couldn't help but growl under his breath. What had happened between him and Suki was just another point on the ever-growing list of things he didn't want to think, talk or hear about.

"How do you-" he cut himself off.

"Oh, you know what the servants are like. You'd be amazed what you can hear, if you're careful. Such a tragedy, of course." Her voice was anything but sympathetic.

"Does this have a point?" He ground out angrily.

"I was simply curious, that's all. Of course, I will be going as well. Perhaps we will see each other there - I trust you know how to dance?" She asked.

He blinked in bewilderment, shaking his head to clear it.

"What? Dance? Now, I know for a fact that people in the Fire Nation don't dance."

Azula sighed, as though he had said something incredibly stupid, and she could do nothing but pity his ignorance.

"Certainly we don't frolic about in that ridiculous display the Avatar presumes is dancing. We're much more refined. Dancing is a dignified affair."

A tinge of fear ran along Sokka's spine. This was going to be incredibly important, what if he made a fool of himself (and by extension, Zuko) in front of the world? He'd never live it down.

He focused on Azula, slightly irked by her smug demeanor. His mouth opened, but he was finding it hard to get the words out.

"…You know how to dance, don't you?" He practically spat out.

Her smirk widened.

"I am a princess of the Fire Nation," she said, as though that explained everything.

Sokka supposed it did. She would have had pressure on her to represent her family and country from a young age, with no mistakes allowed.

He was dreading the following question, but his only other option was either fleeing back to the South Pole, or attempting to weasel out of it some other way. And he very much doubted either plan would succeed.

"Can you teach me? Please?"

The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

"What an interesting prospect. Could I teach a barbarian snow savage proper etiquette? You know, I'm not even sure. But there must be challenges even I can't accomplish," she laughed.

Sokka grit his teeth, already regretting approaching her earlier, let alone opening his mouth. Perhaps he should have left her in the forest to deal with those bandits.

"Very well, I accept your proposition. You will need suitable clothes, of course."

His brow creased.

"What's wrong with the ones I've got?" He asked.

Azula's expression could have flattened a mountain.

"Fine, whatever. I'll get some new clothes," Sokka said, scowling unhappily.

He strode off, muttering unpleasantries about the world in general as he went.

Azula watched him go, a satisfying warmth building up in her chest. This was going to be much more fun that she'd imagined.


	5. Resented

His fingers drummed against the wall, the rhythm erratic yet constant.

What on earth was she doing? How long did it take to prepare for an hour or two spent moving in a small area at a slow pace?

His fingers stilled as his brow wrinkled, worry beginning to surface in his mind.

Maybe the offer hadn't been genuine - just another one of her little tricks. Perhaps the whole thing had been false; there would be no dancing, just a normal meeting.

He certainly wouldn't put it past her to toy with his emotions like that. But then again, it would work in his favour if it did turn out to be a lie. Though his relief still wouldn't overshadow his annoyance.

His patience began to thin with every passing second, the tap of flesh on stone boring into his consciousness like a thought-devouring parasite.

He'd lost count of how long it had been since she'd disappeared into the room, and his fingers itched to reach out and discover what lay within for himself.

He'd had enough. Pushing away from the wall, he straightened up and strode to the door. Just as he was about to grasp the handle, it swung open, smashing into his outstretched palm.

Pain shot through him, and he swore, jumping backwards as Azula stared at him in bemusement.

"Careful, peasant. Wouldn't want you to injure yourself before your lesson can even begin," she admonished.

Sokka gritted his teeth and shook his hand to ease the ache.

"Not my fault you've made me stand out here for hours. My legs have gone numb," he griped.

The woman rolled her eyes, thoroughly unsympathetic to his plight. Wordlessly she walked back into the room.

Sokka followed after her, suppressing the urge to mutter obscenities under his breath. He cast a glance around the room, his eyes widening.

What he had taken to be a simple lounge turned out to be some sort of miniature ballroom.

Golden arches aligned the walls, with pure crimson tapestries hanging above them. Paintings of long-dead nobles and royals looked down on the marble floor and at the back a stage rose out of the floor, made of some gleaming exotic wood.

He whistled lowly, admiring the many intricate details.

"You Fire Nationals don't know the meaning of the word 'modest', do you?" He laughed.

Azula raised an eyebrow a fraction, her lip curling into the slightest smirk.

"Why lie? Our greatness should be there for the world to see," she stated.

Sokka scoffed, his nose wrinkling.

"Yeah, 'cause that sort of thinking has served the world well, hasn't it? Besides, judging by the dust in here nobody's seen this for a while. What happened - was Daddy too busy trying to murder the planet to throw a party every once in a while?"

His casual reference to her father darkened Azula's face considerably, and she turned away from him to stare up at the paintings. One of them was of a woman Sokka didn't recognise, but her golden eyes had a hint of familiarity.

"My mother loved it here, it reminded her of her home. After she killed Grandfather to save Zuko's life, Father had the doors barred and never looked at it again. Zuko tried to sneak in once, but he got caught."

Sokka wondered what his punishment had been. Perhaps the Fire Lord had more scars than he knew of.

Azula shook her head roughly, banishing old memories. She stared at Sokka intently, and he matched her gaze.

"But enough about that. I told you I'd teach you how to dance, did I not?"

Nodding grimly, Sokka awaited her instructions. A brief spark of hope flared within him that this would be quick, easy and above all painless.

"Very well. We will begin with something simple."

She offered him her hand, and he stared at it in confusion for a moment, before realisation set in. He gently took it with with own, briefly marveling to himself how small and pale it seemed in comparison to himself.

In the back of his mind there was no small amount of relief that she no longer sported the claws of her youth - he had no desire to be raked by talons. Though of course, her fingers were no less deadly - the streams of fire she could conjure at will attested to that.

"Put your other arm on my shoulder," she instructed.

Sokka flushed, not moving a muscle. His inactivity seemed to frustrate Azula, and she huffed lightly.

"We're here to dance, not hold hands like lovesick teenagers," she snapped.

Gingerly, he grasped her shoulder as lightly as he could, barely gripping her with his fingertips. Azula growled, clamping down her own hand on his until his palm lay flat against her collarbone.

"I swear, it's like you've never touched a woman before," she muttered.

Sokka opened his mouth to refute her point before deciding it wasn't worth the effort and pursing his lips.

"Fine. Now what?" He grunted, trying to ignore the warmth he could feel radiating from her flesh.

"Traditionally, the man leads. But seeing as how you're both inexperienced and undoubtedly inept, you'll have to follow me."

She took a step backwards, her iron grip dragging him along with her. His feet shuffled and snagged along the shining floor as they went, but he eventually began to get used to the motions.

"Is this it?" He asked after a while. "We're just going around in circles."

He winced at her flat stare, but tried to continue concentrating on not falling over or worse - stepping on Azula's toes.

"Perhaps it's less wild than jolting around like you've been electrocuted or whatever it is you do in your frozen wasteland, but this is how we are in the Fire Nation; dignified and sophisticated," Azula explained.

Sokka grumbled, momentarily taken off guard by a sharp turn.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't know why I was worried, honestly," he mumbled.

"We'll see if you feel that way when you're in front of the world's elite, peasant. Perhaps you might not be so arrogant then," she sniffed.

"Arro-? Hmph," he snorted, sneering to himself.

For several moments they focused on the rhythm, before a thought occurred to Sokka.

"Azula?" He said.

"I hope this is important," she groused.

"You said that we have to have a date for this shindig, right?" He continued lowly.

Her fingers tightened in his, but she nodded.

"What of it?"

"Well, I was just wondering - who are you going with?" He asked.

The woman froze in place, Sokka nearly teetering at the sudden halt.

"What does it matter?" She asked shrewdly, her eyes narrowed.

Sokka shrugged.

"I suppose it doesn't, I was just curious."

For a moment she chose not to reply, giving him a long look.

"As it happens, I have yet to acquire a date," she confessed stonily.

Sokka's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Really? I'm kinda shocked," he admitted. "I would have thought you'd be swarmed with offers, seeing as how you're still a princess and all. And, y'know, you're not hideous, I guess."

It was probably a testament to his recent efforts that she chose not to brutally eviscerate him for his backhanded compliment.

"With a reputation like mine, men tend to be more than a little wary."

Sokka tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"Yeah, I can see why. Still, none at all? I thought at least some people would be brave enough. Or so stupid that they think it would get them into Zuko's good graces," he continued.

"I'll deal with the matter myself, when I see fit. Besides, I can hardly see women lining up to throw themselves at your feet," she hissed.

Sokka treated himself to a small smug smile.

"I've had more than a few ladies hint that they'd be interested in joining me for the occasion," he boasted.

"And yet you've still not chosen any of them. I'd heard rumours of your womanizing nature before, but I hardly expected you to admit it straight up," she declared.

"What? No! I- Forget it. I, uh… Well, wasn't exactly being a hundred percent honest there. I haven't really had much time to talk to other people. You've kind of been a priority."

"I'm flattered," Azula said, clearly anything but.

"Yeah well, you should be. But the thing is, I don't have a date. And you don't have a date…" He trailed off.

Azula's face was blanker than Sokka had ever seen it. Not one trace of emotion could be gleaned from her countenance.

"Is this your hamfisted way of asking me to be your date?" She said dispassionately.

Sokka swallowed.

"Um. Sort of, yeah. I figured it would be convenient for the both of us,"

Her cold stare obliterated any hopes he might have had.

"No. I won't be some get-out clause for you. Find some other patsy to be your arm candy," she snarled.

He opened his mouth to explain himself, but she was already gone, disappearing out the door before he could blink.

He stood there for several moments before slumping forward.

"Guess the lesson's over, then," he muttered.

That hadn't gone to plan at all.

* * *

Her fingers twitched in anger, energy rushing through the before blooming into flame.

The fire consumed the small pile of logs, reducing them to ashes in just a few seconds. It wasn't enough to quell her rage.

How dare he. Did he think that she was some simpering child, who'd fall at his feet? Or perhaps he believed she was so desperate that she'd take any offer at all.

She was Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, her power was beyond compare. Men cowered at the merest whisper of her name.

It had been she who single-handedly orchestrated the fall of Ba Sing Se, she who defended the Fire Nation during the Day of Black Sun, she who had laid low the Avatar himself and she who had nearly been crowned Fire Lord.

What was he to her? Just some worthless tribesman here to lick Zuko's boots. So what if he'd happened to show up to defend her from those filthy brigands? She could have dealt with them on her own.

She snarled to herself, pacing along as the embers winked out before her. Her black thoughts rose through her mind like smoke from a burning forest, before she sighed to herself.

She'd thought, just for the fleetest second, that there was something there. Something worth lowering her guard for. But it seemed she'd only opened herself to more hurt.

"Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way," she muttered.

Had she been wrong? Mai and Ty Lee had thought so. She could still see Mai's glower in her mind's eye, see the tinge of terror eclipsed by the strength of defiance on Ty Lee's face.

And where were they now? Happy, surrounded by friends and loved ones. While here she was, alone again.

Well, so much the better. If she didn't have to worry about anyone else, then she only had to worry about herself.

Glancing down at the still smouldering cinders, she watched the last remnant of her flame cling on to life, the blue spark writhing and dancing on its own.

Fire needed no friends nor confidants. It took what it wanted, and consumed them until there was nothing left to offer it. That was what being Fire Nation was all about.

She'd been tricked into thinking about other people, it had been a mistake to allow those beliefs to have any hold on her. That was how the airbenders had thought, and what good had it done them?

 _A little voice in her mind whispered that she was being irrational, that he had never meant to give her slight. No good would come of sequestering herself away - it had brought only ruin before._ She ignored it.

She bent down, running her fingers through the pile of ash. Some of the powder slipped through the cracks, leaving a fine grey coating behind. She blew it away, until it was scattered it the wind.

Straightening up, she smiled to herself.

She didn't need him.


	6. Repaired

Sokka panted lightly, adrenaline still coursing through his veins after his lengthy sprint. He bent over, his hands on his knees as he fought to get air into his lungs.

"Zuko… Hhn. Have you seen… Azula?" He forced out.

The Fire Lord stared at his friend, his one remaining eyebrow furrowing in confusion.

"I haven't. You were supposed to be watching over her, Sokka. What happened?" He demanded.

Sokka straightened up, but refused to look the former exile in the eye. Nervously he shifted in place.

"I… might have been a bit careless, and said something I probably shouldn't have. Azula took it the wrong way and got a little upset. Now she's run off but I haven't been able to find her anywhere," he explained.

Zuko's lips pursed in irritation at this new problem. He sighed deeply, standing up from his throne and circling around to crouch behind it.

Sokka gawked, thoroughly bewildered, as his friend seemed to root around for a moment before suddenly popping up again with a golden goblet and a small bottle.

The young ruler swiftly reseated himself, pouring a generous dose of a clear, golden fluid into the cup. In one quick swig he drained the goblet, before carelessly dropping it beside his throne.

"Look, Sokka. I'm under a lot of pressure right now. There are still those who protest my rule, and want to seat someone else in my place - someone like my sister. Not to mention that Mai's been colder than usual since she got back."

Zuko took another drink, foregoing the goblet this time.

"I really can't afford to have any more problems, especially concerning Azula. What was that phrase you once told me - 'If the ice begins to creak, it's not long before it breaks', wasn't it?"

Despite himself, Sokka opened his mouth to correct Zuko, before shutting it hurriedly at his glare.

"I can feel it creaking. So, I'm trusting you once more to go and fix this. Please, find Azula, and do whatever it takes to bring her to heel," Zuko finished wearily.

Sokka bowed his head.

"Hey, you can count on me. Just sit back and relax, everything will fine," the tribesman smiled cheerfully.

He turned around, gave a friendly nod to the guards on the door and walked out. On his throne, Zuko clutched the empty bottle in his hand.

"I really hope so," he murmured.

* * *

She shivered, the burning heat of the flames before her doing nothing to quell the ice creeping under her skin.

Her arms were covered in thin red scratches where her sharp fingernails had raked across the pale skin. Not even pain kept the memories at bay.

 _"Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes, hurry up."_

 _She smirked briefly, an image of the decrepit royal slumped over on his throne flashing in her mind._

 _"Fire Lord Azulon. Can't you just call him Grandfather? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."_

 _Her mother's eyes narrowed in disgust._

 _"Young lady! Not another word."_

 _As she ran past her mother, a faint whisper crept into her ears._

 _"What is wrong with that child?"_

She dumped another log onto the blaze, watching blankly as the heat gradually swept over it. Her stomach growled, but its calls went unanswered. There was nothing left here.

 _The girl glared at her contemptuously underneath her bangs._

 _"Leave us alone."_

 _Her orders were obeyed without question. For several seconds there was nothing but the bubble of the volcanic lake beneath them._

 _"I never expected this from you. The thing I don't understand is why. Why would you do it? You know the consequences."_

 _The girl's lips curled into the barest smile for a second._

 _"I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated - I love Zuko more than I fear you."_

 _So be it._

 _"No. You miscalculated; you should have feared me more!"_

 _Her arms whirled as energy built up within her stomach, arcing through her body to her fingertips._

 _Fists struck her from behind and she toppled over. Her body was numb yet all she could feel was pain._

The fire crackled and writhed with her torment, the vivid cobalt burning into sunset.

Above her the trees rustled incessantly, the leaves murmuring their secrets on the wind. Perhaps they were warning the Avatar.

And if he came, she wouldn't run.

 _"Sorry I'm late, Father. Good palanquin bearers are so hard to come by these days. So, is everything ready for our departure?"_

 _It was time. The world would see their power, and pay the price for their defiance._

 _"There has been a change of plans, Azula."_

 _Her eyes widened in shock._

 _"What?"_

 _"I've decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se alone. You will remain here in the Fire Nation."_

 _He was leaving her behind? She, who had dutifully carried out every order, who had never strayed and was ever faithful?_

 _"But… I thought were going to do this together."_

 _"My decision is final."_

 _She was nothing to him._

A low keen escaped her throat before she could swallow it back down. The sound pierced the sudden veil of silence, for the trees had ended their susurrus, and the flame had languished into smoke.

A shadow fell over her, hardly visible in the morning light. Not a muscle moved, her body perfectly in control.

"Azula, I've been looking for you everywhere. Have you been out here all night?"

A bolt of fury rose in her chest, flooding her very soul. How dare he pretend that he cared?

She was done with pretence. They all thought her a joke, a monster. Something to prod and poke and laugh at.

The jet of flame soared through the air, scant millimetres from his face.

She cursed in her mind as he blanched, immediately throwing himself to the ground to avoid her next strike. In only seconds he was up again, dashing behind a gnarled tree stump.

"Azula, stop!" He called anxiously.

She ignored his cries. The barrier wouldn't save him for long. The inferno washed over the wood like a wave, and his yell rang out across the skies.

She faltered for a second, before redoubling her efforts. He would suffer as she had - they all would.

After a moment she released the torrent, watching the remnants of the stump turn to ash. Had she done it?

There was a faint gasp, and a black shape burst out from behind the scorched tree. Her eyes tracked his movements, tiny balls of fire leaping free from her palms as he ran towards her.

"Azula, listen to me!" Sokka roared.

He grunted in pain as the fireballs seared his skin, but his charge didn't halt for a moment. She could only watch with wide eyes as he closed in on her.

And then she was crumbling, unable to withstand his weight as he gripped her tightly. The pair rolled around in the ashes, each seeking to subdue their opponent.

Her nails slashed across his torso, seeking to dig under his armoured back. His own fingers naked around her wrists, holding them tightly as his larger body pressed down on hers.

She growled lowly, teeth bared and eyes wild before her energy drained. What was the point of fighting?

"Please," he whispered as her struggles subsided.

She glared up at him, hating the way his blue eyes glistened and his unbound hair hung down in a brown curtain.

"Azula, I swear, I never meant to- I just wanted…" His words cut off as he swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry."

Her anger still roiled deep inside her, a burning pit of hatred that could never be silenced.

"You're not sorry," she hissed. "Not yet."

"I am, truly. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was just using you. I'm just stupid, I didn't think," he claimed. "I never do, it seems."

The pressure on her wrists began to loosen, but she couldn't muster the will to take advantage of it.

"I don't believe you. They always use me. And then they throw me away."

Her voice was nothing more than the faintest mumble, but he still jerked like he'd been struck. For a moment the two stared at each other, her gaze jaded and his horrified.

And then he tightened his grip, rising up to lay on his knees, and she was pulled along with him. Before she could wonder what he was doing, he'd gathered her into his arms and cradled her gently.

"This isn't like that any more, Azula. Things are different now," he insisted, his voice hushed. "Zuko and me, we care about you."

His hand softly stroked her hair, uncaring of the twigs and dirt that had lodged within the dark tresses.

"You're going to get better. That's all we want. Nothing else," he assured her.

She peeked up at him, her eyelids heavy. His smile was small, yet brighter than any grin he'd flashed her before.

"You promise?" She asked, her voice a little stronger now.

He nodded simply, leaning his head down to lay a sweet kiss upon her forehead. Her eyes widened in surprise at the gesture. No one had done that to her before.

It felt strangely nice.

"You must be tired. Rest, I'll carry you back to the palace," he said, slowly standing with a wince.

She noticed the grimace that passed over his face.

"You're injured," she noted solemnly.

He brushed it off, laughing unconcernedly.

"You're not the first firebender to land a hit on me, and I doubt you'll be the last. I'll heal."

He adjusted his grip, holding onto her securely as he walked them back to the palace.


	7. Returned

The carpet was ruffled under his constant pacing, excitement sending frequent shivers through his body.

"How long are they gonna be?" He muttered under his breath.

His companion sighed, pushing off the wall he was leaning on to grasp Sokka by the arm and hold him in place.

"Just wait, Sokka," Zuko instructed.

The Water Tribesman scoffed, but stopped in his tracks. He looked his friend in the eye for a moment, before wilting under the burned gaze.

"I've been waiting long enough. Months, even. Can't a guy be excited to see his only family?" He asked, a touch of petulance in his voice.

The Fire Lord's lip curled and he shook his head in annoyance.

"They'll be here soon enough, I'm sure Appa is flying as fast as he can. The North Pole is quite far, after all."

Sokka's lips quirked into a grin, and he drew a deep breath.

"Yes, isn't it? In fact, it's a long, long way-"

Zuko's hand shot forward, clamping over Sokka's mouth and cutting off his impromptu singing.

"Please no. I heard that blasted song so often during my exile that I ended up burning three pillows to ashes in frustration," the young monarch confessed. "Besides, it doesn't even work for the North Pole."

Sokka shrugged, prying the fingers off of his mouth and pouting.

"Fine. But if something doesn't happen soon, I'm gonna go crazier than a guy on cactus juice. It's bad enough that 'Zula holed herself up, can't even amuse myself there."

Golden eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"'Zula?" Zuko questioned, the use of the pet name raising flags in his mind.

"Uh. Azula, I mean," Sokka chuckled nervously.

"Hmm. In any case, I told you not to antagonise her," Zuko stated.

"You wound me Zuko, I would never do such a thing. After all, I like my face to be as handsome as it is. Not everyone can pull off the scarred look like you - I don't have the angst for it," Sokka teased.

Zuko grit his teeth in irritation for a moment, before relaxing and rolling his eyes.

"You're just jealous; women go for the whole 'dark past and injuries' thing, you know. Not that I would care, happily married as I am," his eyes darted around, checking the shadowy corners in fear.

Sokka let out a bark of laughter before hurriedly swallowing it just in case. He'd heard the screams coming from Zuko's bedroom the last time the Fire Lady had been unhappy, and for a brief moment he'd actually felt sympathy.

"What exactly is my sister doing locked in her room, anyway? The ball's not for another week," the scarred man continued.

"I'm not entirely sure, but if I had to guess… preparing. You know how ladies get, it's all gotta be perfect. And that goes triple for Azula," Sokka offered.

"Of course," Zuko nodded.

The pair stood in silence for a few minutes, before a question Sokka had long considered resurfaced in his mind.

"So, your Fire Lordiness, how long have you had booze stashed in your throne?" He wondered.

Zuko smirked, his golden eyes twinkling with humour.

"Now you're definitely jealous. As it happens, the compartment has been there for centuries. It helped my ancestors get through the day."

Sokka let out a low whistle.

"Well, that explains a lot. Which reminds me, I was speaking to the Mechanist a few months ago about a device that can hold water on your head and feed it to your mouth. I was thinking about putting bee-" He cut himself off, glancing up at the sound of a low bellow.

Far off in the distance, silhouetted against the blazing sun, was the unmistakable profile of a flying bison.

He surged forward, grabbing his friend by the lapels of his robes and lightly shaking him.

"They're here!" He whooped.

"Yes, I can see that. My vision isn't actually as bad as you think it is," Zuko mumbled, pulling free of the tribesman's fervent grip. "Sometimes I think you get Toph and I mixed up."

"Nah, she's far more fun," Sokka casually explained, hopping from foot to foot in his excitement.

"You're getting far too worked up over this," Zuko said, ignoring the insult.

"Maybe. But I haven't seen my pregnant sister for nearly a year, cut me some slack," his friend chided. "Oh and Aang, I guess."

Another bellow sounded out, louder and closer than before, and Sokka couldn't contain himself any longer. He rushed out into the courtyard, making a beeline for the landing Sky Bison.

"Oh Appa, I've missed you," he said, rubbing the giant mount's nose. An enormous tongue burst free of his mouth, sliding across Sokka's face.

He stood there for a moment before shuddering.

"I haven't missed that though," he whined in disgust.

"Hey Sokka!" A voice called from above.

The brown-skinned man glanced up to see the smiling face of his brother-in-law.

"Aang! How've ya been, airhead? Have fun at the North Pole? Hope you said hi to Arnook for me. All that spirit business sorted out?" He shot off his questions quickly.

The bald Avatar's face darkened slightly at the mention of spirits, but he shrugged.

"I'll tell you about it later, I need to help Katara down," he explained, his head retreating into the saddle.

"I can get down just fine by myself!" The irate tones of his sister were music to Sokka's ears. Especially since it wasn't aimed at him, for once.

A white shape erupted from the saddle, but it was too fast for Sokka to accurately decide what it was before it landed on his face, completely rendering him blind. A chittering sound in his ear was all he needed to identify his new headgear.

"Hi Momo, good to see you too buddy," he greeted the lemur, his voice somewhat muffled.

The primate utilised his nose and ears as handholds, climbing to the top of Sokka's skull before he managed to grab the marauding pet and pull him off.

"Guess who else is back in town?" He whispered, petting the lemur behind the ear. "An old friend."

Momo squeaked in reply, melting under the tribesman's touch. Sokka turned at the sound of aggravated voices, and froze in place at the sight of his little sister.

Before howling in laughter. Katara's eyes narrowed as Momo fled, gliding over to a confused Aang. Sokka bent over double, completely consumed with mirth.

"What's so funny?" Katara hissed, her voice cold enough to freeze lava.

"Y-you… You look like you've swallowed a kuai ball!" He choked on his own amusement.

A low growl escaped the angry woman, her clenched fingers curling into claws as she grasped the waterskin on her hip. Just as the water began to slide free, Aang caught his wife gently by the arm.

"You're not supposed to exert yourself, remember? Besides, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. Did you Sokka?" Aang glared at his friend.

Cackling and wheezing was his only reply. The Avatar glanced at his wife for a moment, before discreetly sending a gust of air to knock Sokka off his feet. Katara smiled.

"Aang, I'm glad to see you," Zuko said, shaking his head at Sokka as he whined about his now-sore backside.

"Zuko!" He bowed to his royal friend before grabbing him in a hug. "It's nice to be back."

Zuko squirmed uncomfortably in the Avatar's grip, before relenting and patting him somewhat awkwardly on the back.

"And where's the Fire Lady?" Aang continued.

Zuko smiled, greeting Katara before turning back to Aang.

"She's inside, overseeing other matters. I'll have someone take care of Appa, follow me," he directed.

* * *

They retired to a beautifully decorated lounge that Sokka hadn't even before. They settled onto plush scarlet cushions, with glasses of wine passed around, though Katara declined in favour of mango juice.

"I'm grateful you've come so early, it's important that the world sees that the Avatar is behind us," Zuko began.

Aang nodded, stroking his chin.

"Of course, anything to help. Are those rebels still causing trouble?" He asked.

Zuko made a noncommittal noise, taking a careful sip of his wine.

"We've been making progress, though it would be easier without the Earth King breathing down my neck. Nonetheless, I expect we will have the matter dealt with soon enough," he explained.

"I can't believe that there are still Ozai loyalists. The war's been over for years," Katara muttered.

"Sadly, his influence was deep-seeded. Even if I were to parade him before the world and make him swear allegiance to me, the so-called 'true Fire Nationals' would still despise me," Zuko said wearily. "Not that I would. Or could. But enough of that, have you heard from Toph? She never responded to my letter."

Aang grinned, his face lighting up.

"We actually happened across one of her students on the way here. She should show up in a few days, hopefully," he said.

"That's good to know. It'll be just like the old days, then," Zuko said, a note of reminiscence in his voice.

"Hah, I hope not," Sokka interjected. "Took me a while to get used to sleeping properly after the war's end."

Katara snorted.

"Oh please, you've always slept like the dead. I used to slap you with snow on my fingers when we were kids, and you didn't move a muscle," she explained to the laughter of the others.

"I always wondered why I'd sometimes wake up with a wet face, that was you?!" He pouted, betrayed. "What other things have you done to me?"

A mysterious smile was his only response.

"Hmph. Well, I'm gonna go check on Azula again, just in case," Sokka said, pushing free of the silky embrace of the cushions with some reluctance.

* * *

His fist tentatively knocked on the door.

"'Zula? You there?" He whispered.

The door slid open a crack, and golden eyes stared at him from within the darkness,

"What is it?" She ordered.

Sokka took a small step back, before shaking his head to clear it.

"Just wondering if you were okay, you've been hidden away in here for a while. What are you doing?" He asked.

She glared at him lightly for a moment, before her lips curved wickedly.

"Oh, you'll see. You'll all see!" She laughed cruelly before closing the door.

He stared at the painted wood in confusion for a moment.

"Well, that was ominous."

Still, he was relieved that the woman hadn't gotten into a fight with Mai, or something. Worries slightly eased, he headed to seek the company of the only thing that truly made sense in this world - a decent meal.


	8. Regaled

Laughter rang out from every corner of the palace. Privately, Sokka thought that the place had never been so merry. Certainly Ozai or Azulon would never have tolerated the happiness of others.

His eyes strayed for a second and he bounced off of something, nearly tumbling to the ground. Thankfully he was able to right himself after a moment - he would never have lived down taking a spill at such an important event.

"Sorry, General Iroh," he apologised after he saw just who he'd ran into.

The Dragon of the West waved his hand in dismissal.

"Think nothing of it, young Sokka. I can hardly blame you for being distracted, this is quite the gathering. If only I had brought my tea to share with everyone," the old man muttered.

"How are things doing at the Jasmine Dragon?" Sokka asked.

"As good as ever, and I'm thankful for it. It is a joy to spread my passion to the world," Iroh said, chuckling.

"That's great to hear. If I'm ever in Ba Sing Se, I'll make sure to stop on by," Sokka promised, heading off to find his friends.

The crowd was thick and full of energy, though the ball had yet to truly begin. He pushed through the throng of young ladies, occasionally winking at the prettier ones or giving a nod to the men he recognised.

Finally he managed to pull himself free of the furore, spotting a familiar head of black hair surrounded by somewhat horrified-looking admirers.

"-And then I punched him across the face!" Toph's raucous voice travelled easily to Sokka's ears.

"Oh my," one of the ladies present whispered, fanning her face as the metalbender stood proudly.

"Yeah, he sure didn't know what hit him. After that I just dumped him with the guards and moved on," Toph finished her tale to somewhat muted, uncertain applause.

"Gee Lady Beifong, you sure know how to captivate an audience," Sokka mocked her.

Her blind eyes narrowed, suspicion written all over her face before she realised just who had approached her.

"I sure do. A shame no one ever wants to hear about your own stories of you bumbling about in the snow," she retaliated.

He snorted, snatching her up into a bear-hug. The shorter woman tolerated the contact for a moment, before a gentle (for Toph, anyway - it still felt like being struck by a platypus bear) thump to the shoulder let him know she wanted to be put down.

"I'll have you know people are always awed by the tale of how I single-handedly defeated the Fire Nation airship fleet," he replied.

She glared at him for a second, wrinkling her lip.

"Pfft. Single handed? And where was I at the time, then?" She questioned mockingly.

He shrugged, before realising his error and grunting.

"Oh, you were around, I'm sure. Getting under my feet as usual, I think," he smirked to himself.

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't we step outside and see who ends up under whose feet?" Toph demanded.

"Alas, as much as I would love to, this is a fancy gathering after all. It would hardly do if the high-brow ladies and gentlemen spotted us brawling like peasants," he said, his voice taking on a snooty accent.

"I'd take them all on as well," the metalbender boasted.

"I'm sure you would. It's good to see you again, Toph," he said sincerely.

"I'd like to say the same, but..." She grinned. "Though it seems you've been up to some interesting things while I've been away. Scarface's had you on babysitting duty, I hear. That right?"

Sokka sucked in a breath through his teeth.

"Yes, Zuko assigned me to take care of Azula," he confessed.

Toph laughed loudly, drawing looks from nearby guests.

"I expect that was fun. How close has she come to roasting you?" She asked, barely containing her amusement. "Bet you're covered in burn scars now."

"It has been fun, actually. She's not so bad when you get to know her," Sokka insisted, ignoring her question.

"I'll take your word for it," Toph muttered. "Me, I like to avoid venomous creatures."

Sokka mock-gasped, waving his arms in an entirely pointless theatrical display.

"Toph Beifong, avoiding danger? Who are you, impostor? The Toph I know throws herself headfirst at anything and everything that might pose a challenge to her," Sokka demanded.

Toph's grey eyes met his in a dead stare. Sokka fought the urge to not blink - he always lost, and somehow she always knew it.

"Ha-ha. As a matter of fact, nothing poses a challenge to me - least of all a half-sane princess, former firebending prodigy or not. I could take her with my eyes closed and both hands behind my back," the young heiress growled.

"Don't call her that. She's perfectly mentally sound, Toph. She just needs to... adjust to life around people who don't want to mold her into something unhealthy," Sokka admonished his friend, reaching out to grab a drink from a passing server.

"Wow, you really do have it bad. Oh boy, we're due some interesting times ahead. Still, on your own head be it, pal. Just don't come cryin' to me if this one goes bad too, I got too much stuff going on to deal with more mushy nonsense," Toph declared, casually swiping Sokka's drink before he could take a single sip.

"Gee, thanks Toph. Always glad to know I can count on your support," Sokka sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if you've changed even a bit since I met you."

"Why change perfection?" Toph replied, unconcerned.

"Why indeed. Nice seeing you Toph," he bid her farewell.

She toasted him with the stolen drink, smirking.

* * *

With the solemn focus of a seasoned hunter, his gaze was set upon the assorted greens and reds that made up the congregation before him. No matter where he looked, his prey eluded him.

Where could she be?

"Sokka. Sokka, over here!"

The brown-skinned warrior's stare cast around, attempting to find the voice calling for him.

His eyes landed upon a hairless head, adorned with traditional Airbending Master arrows. Bingo. He strode up to his friend, grasping his hand in a manly handshake.

"Aang, it's been too long!" He said cheerfully.

"I saw you a few hours ago, Sokka. And every day the week before," the Avatar said, confused.

"Oh yeah, you're right. Aang, it hasn't been long enough!" Sokka tried again.

Aang shook his head in exasperation, long used to Sokka's antics. On his shoulder, his pet chittered.

"Ah, if it isn't Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty! I'm surprised they let him in," Sokka greeted the flying lemur with an affectionate scratch behind the ears, careful not to knock the miniature hat off the simian's head.

"Well, he was pretty important too, y'know. Appa would be here as well, but he couldn't really fit. He's happier eating his own little feast anyway," Aang explained.

"Now that would be a sight to see. I bet Appa's a great dancer - he's got the legs for it," Sokka grinned, imagining the sky bison attempting to tango with a much smaller woman.

"I think he's more comfortable with all his feet on the ground. Or in the air."

"Yeah, I suppose. Anyway, where's Katara hiding?" Sokka wondered.

Aang nodded towards a group of guests who chuckled to one another as the waterbender spoke, rubbing her bulging tummy. Sokka turned back to make a witty remark, but swallowed it down at the adoring expression on his friend's face as he admired his wife.

"Well that's great. Glad things are working out for you there buddy, I was always rooting for you. Y'know, I always had this weird fear that she'd, I dunno, make off with Zuko or something," Sokka admitted lowly.

The last airbender's nose wrinkled.

"Zuko? What?" He said, confused by this sudden change of subject.

"I know, I know, it sounds crazy now. He was always in love with Mai and Katara was into you for quite a while even before you hooked up. But still, she's been known to do weird stuff before," Sokka shrugged, waving his hands. "Anyway, it doesn't matter - I'm just glad it all worked out. You've got a kid on the way, the world is at peace, everything is going well."

Aang regarded him with uncertainty for a moment.

"I... Sure. What about you though?" He asked.

Sokka made a dismissive noise, looking away.

"Me? Hey, I got no complaints - I'm not freezing my backside off or getting hit with stuff any more. On the up and up! I live in a swanky palace and get all the cooked meat I can eat whenever I want it. Who could say no to that? Apart from you, obviously, you plant-eating weirdo."

Aang was not swayed by his jokes.

"That's not what I mean. I know things were tough after Suki..."

Sokka's eyes narrowed a fraction, going absolutely still before he eased up slightly.

"Listen, don't worry about it. I'm good, trust me. Go see to Katara, Mighty Avatar, let us mere mortals worry about our own pitiful existences. This is all about co-operation tonight, right? Get to it then."

He shoved the shorter man towards his wife, who looked up at the commotion and smiled, beckoning Aang over.

The monk frowned, uncertain if he should let his friend be for a moment before giving up and hurrying to Katara's side.

Sokka watched him go, his lips pulled into an annoyed snarl for a moment, before the anger drained out of him.

He really needed a drink.

* * *

"Thirsty, barbarian?"

The voice slithered through his ears like a breath of air to a drowning man. Without thinking, he spun around. He had hardly a second to take in what lay in front of him before his brain sputtered to a halt.

It was a vision, or maybe a mirage. Perhaps he'd caught Midnight Sun Madness. Truly, nothing so beautiful could exist within reality.

Eyes that burned brighter than the sun met his, a gleam of wicked amusement held within. Onyx hair ran in shimmering waves, contrasting against flawless ivory skin. She was adorned in the purest scarlet, with azure flames licking at the hem of her long dress, reaching up mid-thigh.

Someone could have punched Sokka in the face right then and he wouldn't have noticed.

What was this unbelievable creature, this queen of elegance? Surely earthly eyes such as his were not fit to gaze upon her perfection?

"Are you going to stare at me all day? I'm used to it of course, but it does get terribly boring after a while."

The words cut through his daze, freeing his mind from its paralysis.

"Azula?" He croaked.

The woman's smirk grew.

"Naturally. I asked if you were thirsty," Azula said, proffering a glass to him.

He took it woodenly, downing the liquid without even looking at it. It burned his throat, but he

ignored the pain.

"Wow." Words seemed so hard to form. "You... Just wow."

Satisfaction radiated from her at his obvious captivation. She serenely sipped at her own glass, her gaze half-lidded.

"Did you expect anything less?" The princess wondered airily.

"I... I suppose not. But even then, my imagination couldn't do you justice," Sokka admitted.

"I should hope so - clever as you may be on occasion, it takes a certain kind of mind to conjure up magnificence such as I," Azula stated.

"Modesty certainly doesn't become you, huh Azula?" Sokka chuckled, amused by her boast.

"An accomplished liar I may be, but the cold, hard truth has its own place," she replied. "Why diminish myself when all can see the reality before them?"

"I guess that's fair. So; you're here, I'm here, there's a dance floor. How about it?" The Water Tribe warrior asked.

Azula let out the tiniest sigh of resignation.

"You really don't have any sense of romance, do you?" She muttered. "I suppose I'll just have to get used to that. Very well, I hope you can remember what I taught you."

"Frankly so do I, but seeing as how that stuff you gave me was stronger than I expected and I'm in close proximity to an unparalleled beauty, I'll be lucky if I remember my own name by the end of the night," Sokka declared.

Her answering smile made his heart beat faster as they made their way onto the dance floor.


	9. Repleted

His eyes slowly fluttered open, his slumber gently interrupted by a constant breeze directed into his ear. It was accompanied by the softest noise - practically inaudible save for his close proximity.

Even though the sweet embrace of the dreamworld had left him, his thoughts were hazy, as though a fog had crept into his mind. Worry began to trickle through him. His memories seemed nothing but a blur.

Blearily, he attempted to rise. No doubt Zuko would want to see him soon with some important matters. Frankly he was beginning to miss his home a lot.

Something held him in place. It was warm, soft and fleshy.

"Do not even think about leaving."

A woman's sharp voice cut through his stupor, just as her equally sharp nails began to cut into his chest.

"Oh crap..." Sokka muttered, bewildered. "Azula?"

"Who else would it be?" She asked bemusedly.

"You'd be surprised at some of the stuff I've woken up to."

He turned to face his bedmate. Her obsidian hair was messier than he'd ever seen it, mussed up with sleep and exertion, but his attention was held by her eyes - glowing with a satisfaction she'd not had before.

"Too much wine, Sokka? And after all your boasts about Water Tribesmen being the best drinkers in the world," Azula laughed to herself.

Sokka tried to muster up a witty remark, but hadn't yet regained the mental clarity, befuddled as he was by the drink and his close proximity to the beautiful princess.

"Yeah well, we'll see how you feel after a drink of fermented tigerseal blood," he managed, trying to pry himself free without a great deal of success.

"I imagine that it would be difficult to find one here in the Fire Nation. They don't exactly last long out of the South Pole, do they?" Azula returned.

Sokka gave up, relaxing into her embrace. It was clear that she was as unadorned as he, with only sheets to separate them.

"Exactly. Just as the fruits and such you use to make wine can't survive in the Poles. How could I be used to it?" He explained smugly.

"That was almost logical, I'm impressed," the firebender mocked him.

"Have it your way, Princess," Sokka sighed, giving up his somewhat meagre defence.

"Oh, I certainly intend to. You're better in the bedroom than you are in the ballroom, I'll give you that," Azula assured him, reclining back. The scarlet sheet slid off her body, and Sokka struggled to keep his eyes on her face.

"What can I say? I'm a lover and a fighter," he declared.

"Admirable qualities indeed," Azula agreed, amused by his boasts.

"But seeing as how I don't remember much of last night yet, perhaps you and I can attempt to... recreate those memories," Sokka suggested.

Azula's golden eyes widened in pleased surprise as he pressed closer to her.

* * *

"What is he doing? I haven't seen him in days," Zuko muttered.

"Probably sleeping, knowing him. It's amazing how much like Momo he is, sometimes," Katara responded, munching on a moonpeach.

Said winged lemur chittered on his master's shoulders, watching her eat her meal with envy. Aang reached up to scratch him behind the ear.

"But where? He isn't in his room, I checked," the Fire Lord exclaimed, rubbing his burned brow.

"Did you check anyone else's?" Toph slid in, her mouth curved in sly amusement.

Zuko stared at her uncertainly.

"No, of course not. Do you know something we don't?" He enquired.

"If I answered that, we'd be here for years," Toph told him, casually clapping a hand on his shoulder. Zuko fought hard to not buckle under the pressure.

"Thank you Toph, but that doesn't help our current problem. The meeting is soon and I need him for it. Not to mention Azula, I'm not sure where she is either," Zuko said.

That caught Katara's attention. She set the half-eaten peach aside, levelling Zuko with a fierce stare.

"What do you mean? I thought you had someone watching her at all times," she growled.

"But you said that was Sokka, didn't you Zuko? Then he's probably just keeping an eye on her, nothing to worry about," Aang jumped in, simultaneously attempting to placate his wife and prevent Momo from stealing her discarded food.

Toph burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I bet he's keeping a real close eye on her," she wheezed, overcome by amusement.

Zuko grit his teeth in displeasure as Toph's devilish glee subsided.

"Enough of this, I'm going to get him myself - this meeting is too important for him to miss," Zuko decided.

"Have fun!" Toph snickered as the Fire Lord stomped away.

* * *

"And after that Katara decided I wasn't allowed to go outside on my own for a while," Sokka concluded.

Azula stared at him flatly as the Water Tribesman grinned brightly.

"I see. Sometimes I wonder how I ever lost to you people," she muttered to herself.

"Oh don't feel bad, 'Zula, you're not the only one we totally outfoxed, outfought and outright triumphed over," Sokka patted her shoulder patronisingly before hurriedly pulling it away at her icy glare.

"Be grateful that I'm feeling too tired to incinerate you right now," the princess growled.

Sokka waved his hand dismissively.

"You wouldn't want to harm this pretty face," he bragged.

"Who says it's your face I'll burn?" She countered, raising an eyebrow. "There are other ways to cut you down to size."

Sokka winced, gulping.

"Now, I don't think we should go that far... Besides, I think you've grown rather fond of all of me as of late, haven't you?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Azula scoffed but lay back on their bed, too tired to continue their conversation. Sokka privately counted that as a victory as he settled down beside her, fingers tangling into her flowing tresses.

"Sokka, are you in there?" Zuko's voice called, knocking at the door.

The warrior sat bolt upright, cursing under his breath. His gaze cast around the room for an excuse... or escape.

"Sokka? We've got a meeting to attend to!" Zuko tried again.

Azula watched with mirth as the increasingly frazzled Sokka shot horrified looks at the door.

"Oh, uh... Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Sokka replied, attempting to shimmy into his garments.

"For goodness sake, Sokka, this is important," Zuko sighed.

"Honestly Zuko, at least let the man get his clothes on," Azula chimed in.

Sokka froze, staring at her in horror as Zuko choked. The door swung open and he stepped inside.

"Don't you know it's rude to enter without an invitation, Zuzu?" The princess drawled, unconcerned by his entry.

"Sokka. What is going on?" Zuko ignored her.

Sokka glanced between the two rapidly, before gracing Zuko with a massive false grin.

"Zuko my ol' pal, I was just looking after your sister for you, as requested," he tried.

Zuko's glare could have crumbled stone faster than Toph's earthbending.

"I told you to watch over her, not to... fraternise with her!" He snapped.

"Rest assured she never left my sight," Sokka mumbled.

"I couldn't always see him though, only Ty Lee could be that flexible," Azula attested.

Zuko made a disgusted noise, rubbing his temples.

"Whatever. Put your clothes on and come with me - both of you." He ordered, making a swift retreat.

"As you command," Sokka grumbled when he was out of earshot.

Azula just smiled.

* * *

"And that is the measure I propose, my Lord," the Minister of War finished with a flourish.

"Thank you for your input, Minister. What do you make of this, Sokka?" Zuko asked.

His reply was a light snore, the dark-skinned warrior lying with his face against the table totally dead to the world.

"Sokka." Zuko prompted him again loudly.

"Oh yeah Momo? I bet you... And another thing... So there," was the sleepy reply, as Sokka snuggled against his wooden support.

Katara jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, and he awoke with a start, banging his chin on the table in his confusion.

"What the-? Katara! If you weren't pregnant..." He muttered ominously, scowling.

"Zuko asked you what you thought of the War Minister's plans to defeat the rebels," Azula helpfully explained.

"Oh, um... Yes? Sure. Good. Let's go with that," Sokka sputtered, caught off guard.

"I'm glad you think so, then we'll leave it in your certainly capable hands," Azula continued. "I'm sure you'll be able to drive them out single-handedly."

Sokka blinked, still dazed by his rude awakening.

"Hang on, what? Single-handed." He murmured dumbly.

"Oh yes, I'm so glad you volunteered to carry out this mission. I'm sure it would be suicide for anyone else... But you're such a talented warrior." Azula said, her voice sugary.

"Well, I, maybe? Let's not be too hasty..." Sokka gulped.

The group looked at one another, bursting out into laughter.

"Oh Sokka, do try to stay awake next time. You're not being sent out there on your own," Zuko shook his head fondly.

Sokka breathed a sigh of relief before pouting.

"Yeah yeah, pull a trick on the non-bender, that's never gotten old," he sulked.

"Now if everyone's paying attention... Toph will lead the offensive," Zuko continued.

"Naturally, there's no one more offensive than me," Toph grinned.

"Indeed. Katara will stay behind to work as a healer - don't give me that look, you're heavily pregnant. Aang, you and I will be on the eastern side and Sokka with Azula on the west. And guys... try not to kill them, alright? They may be rebels but they're still my subjects."

Azula smirked, tossing her hair.

"No promises Zuzu - this is war, after all."

Zuko shook his head minutely, rubbing his scarred eye.

"Hmph. Very well, I believe that's everything we have to discuss. Dismissed," he declared.

* * *

Sokka ran the whetstone down the gleaming midnight blade. The sound of metal and stone singing together soothed his mind.

"Nervous?"

He shrugged, not turning to face his lover.

"A little. War is dangerous after all. Every time I fight, I wonder if it will be the last. Old soldiers are rare," he admitted. "Especially non-benders."

"You're tougher than most benders," Azula scoffed.

"It only takes one lucky shot or mistake. We've been so fortunate to have lived through so much unscathed. Mostly unscathed at any rate. It's got to run out sometime, right?"

He startled, nearly dropping Space Sword as Azula gripped him by the shoulders and kissed him roughly. Her golden eyes glowed with the intensity of her emotions.

"Sometime. But not today."

Sokka smiled, nodding softly. He rose, hefting his beloved sword, relishing the feel of it in his grip.

"You're right. I'm the luckiest man alive."

He reached out to take her hand in his and they sauntered off to find the rest of their group.


End file.
